For six years, I have had a passion for collecting chronometers. As an artist, my interest in measuring instruments and reflection upon time influenced my creative activities.

In the text below I describe a situation in which the passage of time is halted by synthetic means. I have created a project of a 24-hour live-video broadcast. It would involve displaying sunrise and sunset simultaneously. Both of these spectacles are twin-like landscape frames, even though they express two different phases of the day. Suns would be standing still above the line of the horizon during the so-called “golden hour”. Apart from the star, a fragment of the landscape and the current weather conditions are depicted as well

Sunrise and sunset, the border moments of the day and night cycle are of very short duration and at these moments a change of the sun’s position is particularly noticeable. The illusion of motionlessness can be created through the juxtaposition of a sequence of short 15-minute subsequent shots documenting the same moment. It is worth mentioning that only flowing editing and distortionless broadcasting will allow the moment to be freely extended in real-time.

Extensive preparation and organisation is required for simultaneous sunrise and sunset
lasting all day. The programme with live video recording will involve precisely designated
stations around the circumference of the Earth located in all time zones. In order to
accomplish these objectives, at least seventy video capturing points should be specified
and communicated with each other. Then, one station would be used twice – first, during
sunrise, and then during sunset. It should be strongly emphasised – both broadcasts are
independent constructions. The videos of sun’s rise and fall are broadcast from points
radically remote from one another, and they register significantly different processes. Only
the screening – that is, the juxtaposition – makes the two films clarify each other. During the
23th September screening, I will become the dispatcher of time, and the place of Arsenal
Gallery in Białystok – the control room. I intend not to sleep and to remain in the state of
constant activity. It can be said that I will become a biological programmer.

Piotr Policht, Suns

Carbondale, Illinois prepared for months for the solar eclipse of 21 August. The phenomenon required touristic infrastructure and favourable weather with a clear sky. Even the ban on consuming alcohol in public places was lifted in the hope of broadening the influx of money left by tourists which flowed in through the city left desolate after the 2008 economic crash for a moment as brief as the astrological phenomenon.

Even though the star of our planetary system has long lost its status as a deity, the rare phenomena linked with it cause great excitement. For some, they get their hearts pumping, for others – they bring a flow of money to their accounts. We cannot handle the effects of climate change, but we try to involve the 150-million-kilometre-away Sun into the logic of capital and efficiency, just as we do with the resources beneath us. With decent success – solar energy is slowly making its way into our houses, the most popular chain of furniture stores in the world, Ikea, has recently started selling solar panels, in Poland as well.

There still remains the last stronghold unconquered by neoliberalism which is also protected by the Sun – sleep. According to Jonathan Crary’s observations put forward in his 24/7: Late Capitalism and the Ends of Sleep, it is the sleep that serves as a twofold mental hygiene. In the literal sense, it lets the human brain regenerate and digest the received stimuli. In the psychosocial sense, it is the only crack through which we can escape the imperative of both production and consumption. Even though since the discovery of electricity we are as proficient in turning the crowns of our biological clocks and breaking the daily rhythm of activity and rest as we have never been before, it is the sunrise and the sunset which regulate the hormonal balance responsible for it.

The proverbial “stopping the Sun and moving the Earth” is treated as one of most significant events in the history of culture and science. However, what would happen if it could be achieved in the literal sense and our reality would start resembling the one presented in Łukasz Radziszewski’s work? The golden face of the Sun suspended above the horizon was hitherto associated with unrefined landscapes, two faces next to each other – with equally cheesy sci-fi illustrations. However, just like the sunrise is hard to distinguish from the sunset on some pictures, the line between idyll and nightmare is thin.

People involved in the „Suns” will be treated as collaborating artists, taking a part in show. The final list of authors of movies and people engaged in the production of „Suns” will be published on the 20th of September.

The project is under honorary patronage of President of City Białystok.
Implementation of the project (production of both exhibitions) was funded by City of Białystok Stypendardy Program for young artists

Know How

Collaborating means networking here, videos from all around the world makes it . The final list of authors of movies and people engaged in the production of Suns will be published on the 20th of September 2018.

What is the perfect shoot?

Take care of proportions of the horizon. Sun should be close to center of image.

It would be great, if Sun would be visable all the time. If there are clouds, trees or building in the view, do not worry – everything is ok, still we have a film from morning/evening, from special area. 3. Listen to your invention – choose area, you like or have emotional connection.Video reccording:

Video camera should have fully charged battery

Please, Take care to have not less than 1-2 GB memory free on your device.
3. If we record video by mobile phone, please turn on „plane mode”, to not make a breaks in video caused by random call

If it is possibile – please, choose the HD quality in settings

Phone should be put on something stabile, view should not be moving

Please, do not record sound.

Length of video should be not less than 15 minutes – perfect is 20.

EXAMPLE I: Sunrise in Jakarta starts at 5:50. Because of that, you begin to record at 6:00 untill 6:30.

EXAMPLE II: Sunset in Jakarta begins at 17:50. So you start earlier, at 17:10 untill 17:40.

Preparations for video:

Sharing the files:

If the files are larger than 2GB – please, use our Premium account on WeTransfer (the best way to share large sized files) made for you. You can gain the key writing us at suns.lucas@gmail.com.

Preparations for live stream:

The best device to make an live stream is mobile phone.

Mobile video camera should have fully charged battery.

Please, be sure you are in range of wifi, or other stabile Inthernet connection.

Camera should be stabilized and not moving. If camera lens will focus automaticaly during recording – please do not stop the video, or try to change options. Everything is cool.

If it is possibile – please, choose the HD quality in settings

Please, do not record sound.

You can use the most popular streaming platforms as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or Twitch. Just let us know before – we have professional tools and amazing people, that can capture your stream from any platform and mix it with the line.
8. During the show we contact 20 minutes before, via Facebook Messenger. In special situations via WhatsApp.

Length of video should be not less than 20 minutes – perfect is 30.

EXAMPLE I: Sunrise in Jakarta starts at 5:50. Because of that, we begin to record at 6:00 untill 6:30.

EXAMPLE II: Sunset in Jakarta begins at 17:50. So we begun earlier, at 17:10 untill 17:40.

Open Call

Suns, as a social art project is based on networking around Earth. We look for people or places worldwide to ask for simple videos of sunsets and sunrises from their current location. The goal is to connect all these short movies into one, 24-hour long stream.
If you would like to send us videos of sunsets and sunrises from your area, you can contact us at suns.sophie@gmail.com. We look for videos from all around the world, recorded before 18th of September 2018 and live streams from the 22/23th of September. You can find video specifications in the Know How section tab.

Everyone who joins the project is going to be credited for their work and treated as an artist, free to mention Suns in their portfolio as a international collaboration piece.

All the videos will be shown during the 24 hour long exhbition at the special moment of the Equinox 22/23 September 2018. It would be possible to watch at FinA Warsaw and Arsenal Gallery in Białystok and streamed in web at Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw website. Befeore, preview has been shown in Zacheta – National Gallery of Art in Warsaw.